Bedtime Stories
by raincaster
Summary: Jake's children Thomas and Sylwanin want a bedtime story. And so he tells them the story of the Na'vi Princess and the Sky Warrior.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Random story idea in my head that I had to get out, so probably not my best story ever. Plan to be a two shot. Hope you enjoy!**

Bedtime Stories: The Na'vi Princess and Sky Warrior

"Daddy!"

"_Sempul!_"

Jake grins his familiar lopsided grin as he hears his children's excited calls for him. They are supposed to be settling down for the night, but judging by their excited voices, Thomas and Sylwanin feel like doing anything but sleeping. But Neytiri would fix that quick enough with her soft yet firm voice and a soothing lullaby. He sits up though and positions himself to make a leap to the branch nearest him to walk over to his young ones…

Next thing he knows two small cobalt bodies knock him down and land on either side of him on his and Neytiri's cot. Two pairs of large amber eyes sparkle with lively energy and a sweet innocence.

"We want a story," Thomas informs him, as practical and straight to the point as always. Sylwanin nods her head in agreement, clearly taking her older brother's lead. Sylwanin's small hand is wrapped half way around her toy _ikran_ that is woven out of dead leaves and forest moss, made by one of the clan's elders. Thomas is clutching onto his soft, fuzzy blanket, a gift from the old avatar team. They both look at their father expectedly as they lean against him and await their tale, hugging their separate comfort items.

Sylwanin speaks up, "I want a story about a princess!"

"No, I want one about a warrior!" contradicts Thomas, who is scrunching up his face at the thought of yet _another_ princess fairytale for his sister.

"Love stories are better!" Sylwanin sticks out her tongue.

"No, action stories are!"

Jake quickly cut across them. "What if I told you I could tell you a story about _both _a princess and a warrior with _both_ love and action in it?"

The two little Na'vi study their father with hopeful, yet skeptical, looks. Suddenly, the cot bounces and shifts a little as yet another body carefully landed on the cot, Neytiri's slander blue arms sweep Thomas up in the air and down again as she joins the already crowed cot.

"You two are supposed to be asleep!" Their mother gently scolds. "Why are you still up!"

"_Sempul _is going to tell us a story about a princess and a warrior," answers Sylwanin calmly, but there is a wide plea in her eyes as well as Thomas'. They want to hear the story before they join the silence of the night. As though to beg even further, Thomas rests his head in Neytiri's lap, still clinging on to his blanket and whispers _please Mommy?_

Giving in, Neytiri looks at Jake with a small smile. "Alright, _one_ story." She picks up Thomas and sits him in her lap as Sylwanin places herself in her father's arms. Jake, carefully supporting Sylwanin, moves himself closer to Neytiri until he feels her touch. Returning the affection, Neytiri rests her head on his shoulder and looks up at him along with their children, prepared for the story.

And she accuses _him_ of being a baby.

Catching his mate's golden gaze, Jake begins his story saying, "This tale is about two clans in mist of a grave struggle for Eywa's land. This tale is about the two people from those two clans; their own private struggle to find their place in Eywa's balance. This is a tale of the Na'vi Princess and the Sky Warrior."

"Where did the sky warrior come from?" Thomas asks, somehow picking up the subtle hint that this character is not a born native of Eywa's land.

Jake gives a small grin and waves his hand to the star lit sky saying, "Farther than the farthest star in the sky."

Both Thomas' and Sylwanin's eyes widen in amazement as they stare into the starry sky, clearly trying to imagine the unfathomable distance. Jake continues on.

"The sky warrior left his village because it was dying from its own people's greed and deception. He had realized that he could no longer save his home from his own people's hands. There was no longer any green nor were there any wild creatures. And so the sky warrior journeyed to Eywa's land, in hope to find something he had lost: a home to fight for.

"However he had a problem: he couldn't breathe on his own in this new world. The problem had been solved however by intelligent sky people called scientists…"

"Like Uncle Norman?" Sylwanin interrupts, captured by the story. "And where does the Na'vi princess come in…?"

Laughing a little, Jake replies softly, "Patience, my daughter. Yes, scientists like Norman. They invented dreamwalkers, bodies much like the Na'vi in which the people of the sky clan can place their spirits into. And with these bodies, they walked among the Na'vi. When the sky warrior was in his dreamwalker, he finally knew a sense of peace. It was as if he was born to walk among the People of the Na'vi.

"One night however, the warrior was lost in the forest, alone and helpless, surrounded by _Nantang_. Thinking his dreamwalker body was going to die either way, the warrior challenged them, calling out to their snarls and bared teeth."

Both children's eyes are wide with worry for the sky warrior now, mouths in a tight line.

"Thinking of his will the warrior fought with all his strength, but it seemed to not be enough. One creature tackled him; its teeth inches from his throat… when a stray arrow struck the attacking _nantang_ and saved the warrior. A young Na'vi princess had entered the hunt, rescuing the dreamwalking sky warrior just in time…"

"_Sempul,_ you're telling the story all wrong!" Little Sylwanin interrupts once more. "It's the _warrior_ who saves the princess, not the other way around!"

Neytiri who now has her eyes closed, smirks, in amusement and Jake looks at his daughter with raised eyebrows, his mouth twitching upward slightly. "You've been listening to too many of Uncle Max's and Aunt Rachel's stories have you? Well, this princess was no _ordinary _princess. She wasn't only a princess, but a strong and proud warrior. She fended for herself and knew the voice of Eywa was within her. She understood that the warrior had been chosen by the All Mother for something very important. So she took him into her village and began to open his eyes so that he could See."

Sylwanin thinks over what she had just heard and nods in approval. It is clear that she has gotten used to the idea of a warrior princess quickly. Thomas is still leaning against his mother, soaking in the story; a thoughtful look is in his bright, large eyes.

"The sky warrior learned the ways of the Na'vi and his eyes were opened more and more each day with each lesson the princess taught him. When it came time to became a hunter and bond with his _ikran_, the warrior was excited and the princess proud of her student. When the warrior flew out into the vast skies on his new mount, the princess joined him for each and every flight. From there, the two moved from student/ mentor to the closest of friends. And it was as he sailed the skies with her that the warrior realized that he was falling in love with beautiful and proud warrior princess.

"However the warrior's sky clan had other plans in mind. They had come for the stone that Eywa had plentiful of in her land and they were willing to do anything to get it. A large pile of it rested under the princess' village and the warrior's clan wanted her people to move so that they could tear down the village and mine the stone…"

Thomas' and Sylwanin's eyes got big once more. "But what about the Na'vi? And what about Eywa? Didn't the sky clan know that they would be destroying part of Eywa as well as the Na'vi?" They ask in horror, for they could not picture any being not knowing (or not caring) about the All Mother and her children.

Jake shakes his head. "The sky clan didn't See, just like the warrior couldn't before he had met the princess. All they saw were themselves and their greed and delusion of destroying one home to fix their own.

"The sky warrior knew all of this, of course," Jake continues on with the story. "But he couldn't warn the princess until he was officially part of the clan and allowed to speak on his birth people's behalf. Also, he was scared. His spirit was torn between the clan of his birth and the clan of his adoptive people. The warrior didn't want to face the fact that sooner or later, he would have to choose between them."

Jake could feel Neytiri's sad gaze upon him and his children's thoughtful looks. "But," Thomas finally speaks, "he loved the princess though."

Jake nods, "He loved her very much. And after he became a clan member, the warrior and the princess went to the Tree of Voices and confessed their love. They became life mates that night, and the warrior knew he had made his choice."

Jake's eyes sadden as the coming lines are said, "the destruction came the very next morning. The sky clan tore down the Tree of Voices and the Na'vi were calling for battle against them. And the warrior knew he had to confess what he had known all along." Jake takes a quick breath. "And the princess was grieved and she pushed him away, calling him a traitor and an alien, to which the warrior could not deny. He was held prisoner as the Na'vi prepared to defend their home, yet when the sky clan came and brought their rain as gas and fire, the strong tree, the heart of their village, fell and crumbled into ashes and twigs. And the sky warrior was forced out of his dreamwalker and was forced back to the sky clan, where once again, he was held prisoner.

"The warrior though was determined to fight for his new home. With the help of a few trusted friends within the sky clan, he escaped and went back into his dreamwalker. To face the princess and the clan though, he had to take it up to the next level. He had already severed all ties with the sky clan and now he had to prove his loyalty to the Na'vi. The warrior called his _ikran_ and taking to the air, he flew above a fierce _toruk_. Taking a deep breath, the warrior jumped off his mount and danced with the last shadow until they were bonded brother spirits."

"_Toruk makto…_" gasp Thomas and Sylwanin, mouths hanging open and eyes shining in awe.

"He had been Eywa's warrior all along!" grins Thomas, who is eagerly waiting for some action now. His sister had gotten her love story.

Nodding, his father goes on, "The warrior flew to the Tree of Souls, where he knew the princess and her clan would be, seeking refuge and comfort in their great sorrow. And as he landed with the setting sun, the People around him stood in shock and awe. The Princess looked slightly stunned and then her face shone with love. It was in that moment, the warrior knew that despite everything, the princess had never really stopped loving him. The princess and the warrior slowly approached each other, ignoring the sea of on lookers. They didn't care. When they met up, they reach out for each other and a moment of _I See you_ passed between them. And the warrior then approached the _Olo'eytkan_ and offered his service to the clan. The proud Na'vi leader accepted it and together they called the clan into battle against the sky people who had destroyed their home and soiled their land.

"Together the princess and warrior took flight upon the _toruk _and they reached out to the other Na'vi clans and the cry of battle echoed throughout the land. _Toruk Makto _had delivered his call, and the People had roared their answer. They prepared for the coming dawn, when the sky clan had threatened to attack the most holy placed of the land, the Tree of Souls."

Pausing, Jake waits for any interruptions that might come his way. His little ones however are completely silent, awaiting the outcome of the battle. They seem to not even want to breathe in risk of interrupting their father's thoughts and therefore the tale.

"Many people died in the battle, both of the sky and of the Na'vi. The fight looked hopeless for the Na'vi for the longest time until Eywa decided to intervene. She sent in her own troops of her wild six legged children, tearing through the sky clan's defensives. One such child, a _palulukan_, heard Eywa's call and found a dismounted and stunned princess on the ground in mist of the battle. Bowing low to the princess, the _palulukan_ allowed her to mount her and together, princess and beast fought the sky clan.

"Meanwhile, the warrior fought in the skies, landing upon one of the sky clan's metal birds and destroying their weapons that were planned to be used against the Tree of Souls. In desperation, the sky clan's war leader, the scarred man, opened fire on him. The warrior managed to destroy the metal bird however and he fell to the forest floor, a little bruised but otherwise unharmed. The Tree of Souls had been saved."

Thomas and Sylwanin are now smiling, pleased that the sky warrior had saved the Tree of Souls and that the princess was safe on her fierce and unusual mount.

"The princess found the scarred man, the one responsible for the attack on her village and her anger grew faster. Ordering the _palulukan_ to attack, she unarmed him of his battle gear and fought until the scarred man killed the _palulukan_, trapping the princess' legs underneath the body…"

Sylwanin buries her face in Jake's side, and clutches his fived fingered hand with her own. Thomas seems to be clinging on to Neytiri tighter than before, his five fingers wrapped around her four. Both their tails are swinging nervously back and forth, restless.

"The warrior leapt from the trees and fought back the scarred man, defending his mate. For the majority of the battle he held the upper hand with his fury and passion and his will to defend his People. However, the scarred man had found his sky person body and exposed it to Eywa's air. And soon the warrior found himself fighting two battles: one against the scarred man and one against his own sky body which had trouble breathing."

Sylwanin's grip tightens even more.

"In a moment of weakness, the scarred man was able to grab the sky warrior by his _queue_ and he hung him in the air with a knife to the warrior's throat…"

Both children wince at the very thought of being hung by their own_ queues_ and grab their own gently as if to protect them.

"The sky warrior was losing not only the scarred man, but to his fight of trying to keep his own breath. One of the princess' arrows flew past his vision and dug itself into the scarred man's chest as the sky warrior felt himself leave his dreamwalker and struggled to find air in which he could breathe. He had held out the fight to long though and he fell unconscious, poisoned by the air of the land he had given his all to defend.

"It was not long however, that the sky warrior felt his breath come back to him. Somehow, someone had placed a mask on him that allowed him to suck in healthy air for him in his sky person body. And as he opened his eyes the princess stood over him, cradling him close to her. She had saved him twice, once in his dreamwalker from the scarred man and another as a sky person from her natural world. She saw him as he truly was… yet she didn't push him away. Instead she clung on to him, clearly never wanting to let go. Once again a moment of _I See you_ passed, only this time the warrior could truly know what it meant. Never before had the princess been more beautiful, body and spirit. And he saw himself clearly for the first time in many years through her eyes, and it gave him a life in which he had never felt before. And it was a life he was never going to give up just because he had been born in the sky clan."

In a small whisper, Sylwanin looks up at Jake and asks, "So what did the warrior do?"

"His spirit passed through the eyes of Eywa," Jake says with a wide smile. "And the All Mother allowed his spirit to live permanently in his dreamwalker so he could stay with his new People forever."

"And the princess and the warrior lived happily ever after, right Daddy?" Sylwanin adds.

"But of course," laughs Jake. "And they lived _very_ happily ever after."

The little Na'vi nods and closes her eyes finally ready to sleep. The story had been told and now she could sleep with dreams of the warrior waking up to his breath and the princess' worried yet beautiful face. They both strongly resembled her parents, that she realizes and she smiles as she drifts off to sleep.

Thomas however is not quite as satisfied as his sister.

"How was it, passing through Eywa's eyes?" He asks his father.

"The warrior felt a peace in which he had never felt before," answers Jake, his eyes sparkling. "The warrior felt like he was finally home."

Thomas is silent for a moment and moves carefully so he could look at both of his parents as he asks, "Will I hear this story again? But next time, the FULL story?"

Jake startles for a moment, wondering what his son meant and then realizes that Thomas saw a little past the 'bedtime story' and more into true story. Looking at Neytiri, he saw his mate nod and he turns back to his son.

"Yes," he answers slowly. "You and Sylwanin deserve and need to know the entire story… when you're older. And not as a bedtime story."

Thomas sighs, still hugging his fuzzy blue blanket. He knows that is the best promise he is going to get for now. And no matter what, his parents kept their promises. Looking at his sister he lies down and closes his eyes.

"Good night _Sempul._ Good night _Sa'nu._"

"_Oel Ngati Kameie, _Thomas." Jake and Neytiri whisper as their elder child closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. Looking at each other in silent agreement, they lie down so that their two children are sleeping peacefully in between them and reach an arm protectively across them and lightly brushed the other's fingers.

"_Oel Ngati Kameie_ my warrior," Neytiri whispers.

Jake grins and whispers back, "_Oel Ngati Kameie_ my princess."


	2. Story Circles: Growing up Na'vi

**AN: Wow, I'm glad that people liked the first part so much! Now that I look at it, it does make a rather nice one shot… but I still have something in mind. I hope it can live up to the first part! **

The Story Circle: Growing up Na'vi Hybrid

Time has gone by too fast. Jake sits on a branch high above the small circle of Na'vi children, who are listening with rapt attention to two young hunters as they recite a seemingly thrilling tale. The storytellers have very some unusual features for a Na'vi: their hand motions reveal five fingers and their bright energetic eyes are slightly smaller than average. They both are also not quite at their full growth for their age. But none of that had ever stopped Thomas and Sylwanin from being one with the clan. Indeed if anything, the young hunters' differences make them ever so much more precious and enduring to all the clan members. Thomas and Sylwanin are the proof to the residents of Pandora of a possible understanding between two very different People. They are a bridge of hope of a lasting peace.

Not that Jake has ever told them this; growing up is hard enough as is without anything else attached. But as he reflects on what his young ones have gone through and experienced throughout their lives, he realizes that they were exactly that: a bridge between worlds.

Thomas and Sylwanin have been and always will be part of the Na'vi People first. Jake and Neytiri have made sure of this from the very beginning. Though English is the family's private language, the siblings have been expected to speak their people's native tongue whenever they are dealing with everyday village life. They went through the expected schooling and training that it took to be a hunter in the clan and they had bonded their _ikrans_ before they were officially adults in the clan. Eywa is very much a part of their lives… how could she not be? Jake can always see his children's sense of peace and joy whenever they make a bond with their _ikrans _or _pa'li _or are just simply enjoying the sights, smells and sounds of their wild and free home. They were part of the People in every way. However, this didn't make the struggles of being part human any less difficult…

_A bitter hiss met Jake's ear as he finally found his daughter, by herself sitting by the edge of the lake, slapping the water to make her stunning reflection distort with the ripples. She had disappeared from the village while her peers had been learning the basic herbs and methods of healing that all of the Na'vi must learn to survive. When her absence was soon discovered, hunt parties were quickly sent out to look for the little girl. Jake had been out of his mind with worry. Pandora was paradise… yet the dangers were great, especially to a young Na'vi who still counted on her parents and elders for protection. It was one of the greatest moments of relief for him when he finally saw her once more, miraculously unharmed. _

_ Sylwanin had been crying; mud caked her face from the slush that had splashed onto her as she had hit the water in frustration and sorrow. The pain was clear in her small yet bright amber eyes. And Jake somehow knew that whatever happened today while she was with her peers had caused it. Kneeling down, Jake wiped away the mud from her face with his hands and tilted her head so that she looked at him. Sniffling, Sylwanin explained herself._

_ "N -- Nirito had c -- called me ugly! He said that I – I wasn't even P – People!"_

_ Making a metal note to speak to the boy's parents about this, Jake embraced his daughter, rocking her back and forth right there by the lake. "Shhhh, _'ite, _Nirito is Blind. You are very beautiful, and you are most certainly People!"_

_ "He said my eyes were too small and the fur above my eyes was weird and that my hands…!"_

_ Jake silenced her with a soft look and placed his hand flat into her own so that their palms and fingers were lined up perfectly with each other, thumb to pinkie. "And does Nirito not consider _me _People?"_

_ Sylwanin's eyes widened, "But Daddy, you are _Olo'eytkan_! Of course he considers you People!" _

_ Jake couldn't help but smile at her angry expression. Anyone who questioned _his_ membership in the clan clearly had his youngest child to deal with. "And how are we any different? You, your brother, mother and I are one. And we are one with the clan, with Eywa. That makes us People._

_ And no matter who we are we all share one thing in common." Jake placed his hand so that it rested right on Sylwanin's heart. "We all have beating hearts. We all have independent spirits. And those are what make a person beautiful. And you, Sylwanin have a beautiful heart and spirit."_

_ Sylwanin, still upset but comforted, raised her arms and Jake swung her up in the air and carried her back to the village. When Neytiri had rushed out to him in relief, the little Na'vi had already closed her eyes and gone to sleep…_

_ Time passed, and Thomas flung down his bow and arrow in anger as he passed his father. Picking up his son's bow, Jake wondered if he should pursue him or let him get out his anger before he talked to him. Knowing his unfortunate habit of allowing his emotions stew and boil, Jake decided to confront him._

_ Thomas was found sitting on his favorite branch in the tree of their village, muttering what suspiciously sounded like swearing under his breath. He was staring at his hands, wriggling his pinkies. _

_ "Absolutely worthless pieces of --!"_

_ "Language Thomas," Jake calmly said as he took a seat next to him. "What are you mad about?"_

_ "You swear," his son retorted back. Silence…_

_ "Mo'uto won't change his teaching style in a more suitable way for me to shoot my bow," Thomas finally said softly. He insists that I'm only holding the hunters behind because I wish it. But I'm trying my best --!"_

_ Jake handed him his bow and arrow back and took out his own. "I will have a good chat with Mo'uto later. But now, _I_ will teach you how to use the bow. Come."_

_ For a moment, it looked like Thomas would refuse just to be purely stubborn and have a chance to vent his anger. But with one look from his father, the young Na'vi knew better and followed his father out to the forest with his bow in hand. They had spent the afternoon together as mentor and student, with Jake showing Thomas how to keep his little finger out of the way as they aimed their weapons. Later when Thomas had gotten the hang of it all, Jake walked with him, heading back to their family._

_ "How did Mom have the patience to teach you to hunt?" Thomas asked. "Surely you had to learn how to get use to your fifth finger too." _

_ Jake shrugged. "It was frustrated for the both of us at times, but we got by. Your Mom was and is a great teacher."_

_ Thomas nodded. "You are a great teacher too,_ Sempul_."_

Returning to the present, Jake listens to his children's story that they are telling their eager audience. It is one of Thomas' and Sylwanin's favorites, not only because it is a good and satisfying tale but also because it is a story in which held their existence. Usually when anyone told the story of the sixth _toruk makto_ Jakesully, Jake turned the other way and plugged his ears. The Jakesully in that story was often portrayed heroically pure and true; he was given far more credit then what was due. When he was going to politely correct the story teller however, Neytiri had stopped him with an amused smirk on her face.

"Let them have their hero," she had said. "Because like it or not, that's exactly what you are."

And so he had chosen just not to listen. However, his children tell Jakesully's story just right… it is the same version he had told them all those years before as little ones, wanting a bedtime story. They make the sixth _toruk makto_ so – for the lack of a better term -- human. They add his fears, his hopes, his faults and his joys. They make it far more than a legend – they make it reality. They have so much passion and love in the story that Jake can't help but listen. _That _is what Jake has wanted for his story. He doesn't want to be a legend; he wants to be real on a relatable level. And that is how Thomas and Sylwanin describe Jakesully, as a blood and flesh creature with feelings.

So in a way they are more than a bridge between worlds; they are a bridge between legend and reality.

"The Na'vi princess raced towards the sky warrior, who didn't stir from his fall from the scarred man's hands. There was nothing wrong with his dreamwalker, yet something was amiss. The princess somehow knew that he was dying," Thomas continues, glancing at his sister for her cue.

Nodding, Sylwanin picks it up, "Looking behind, the princess saw a metal hut in which the people of the sky clan used to live in. Feeling that her love was in there, in danger, she jumped in the hut, crying out in fear, _my warrior_!

"She saw him at last in his sky people form. She had never seen him as such but in her heart she knew that was her mate. Realizing that the air of her land was poisoning him, she frantically looked around and clumsily reached for a mask in which would allow him to breath. Her hands shook as she placed it on his small pale face, praying."

"The sky warrior found his breath," Thomas picks it up once more. "And he opened his eyes to find himself cradled in his mate's arms. She had seen him as he truly, yet she didn't turn away. She held him close, as though never wanting to let go. Reaching for her, he whispered simply, _I See you._"

"To which, the princess replied, "_and I See you_," Sylwanin gives a small grin, clearly seeing the scene in her own heart.

"The battle had ended and the sky clan defeated, though the price was great. Many good Na'vi and sky people had died during the entire struggle only because a few had chosen to be Blind to Eywa's land. The sky warrior found the young Na'vi _Olo'eytkan_, dying from his mortal wounds. In his last breath, the _Olo'eytkan_ named him as the next leader of the clan." Thomas goes on. "And the sky warrior knew he couldn't let his sky person body get in the way of his new land, his new People and his new mate. And so he made yet another great sacrifice; he passed _through_ the eyes of Eywa to ask for his spirit to be placed permanently in his dreamwalker. Ever since then, he has walked among the People as one of them."

"This sky warrior, Jakesully, has been known by many names: Dreamwalker, warrior, _Toruk Makto_,_ Olo'eytkan_…Daddy!"

Sylwanin has just caught sight of her father and in her surprise calls out to him. Jake nearly falls off, startled. Eyes widening, Sylwanin rushes over to make sure he is okay.

"And," Thomas quickly finishes off the story for their audience, "Jakesully will always be part of the land, part of the People. For his fight was for all in which he had become a part of in Eywa's land." And with that said, he joins his sister.

Climbing up to their father, the siblings sit beside him and both ask, "Are you okay?"

Jake laughs, "Never better. Nice story you two."

Thomas and Sylwanin grin at each other sheepishly. "We know you don't like it being told in the story circle," Thomas starts. "But –"

"I meant what I said Thomas," Jake cuts through him. "Thank you for telling my story as it is… that's more then I can say for others."

The branch shifts slightly and Neytiri lands besides Thomas once more. "Yes thank you, Thomas, thank you Sylwanin."

The young hunters give small embarrassed, but satisfied smiles at their parents in acknowledgement of their thanks. A calm, yet awkward silence….

"We're going to go to the sky clan hut," Thomas finally said. "Uncle Norman said that he would like to show us something that he found… apparently he wants to know what its place in the forest is…"

"Plus Thomas wants to learn how the sky people control those metal bodies," adds Sylwanin with a teasing smile at her brother.

Neytiri gives a hiss, clearly displeased with her son's interest in the AMP suit. Seeing this, Thomas adds in his plea.

"It's not like I'm going to be driving it! It's unarmed and everything!"

"_Science!_" Neytiri mutters the word under her breath like a curse word. Jake places a hand over hers in comfort.

"They know the difference between science and Eywa," he points out calmly. "We can trust them and the avatar crew together, you know that. Norman and Max will be on their best behavior as will Thomas and Sylwanin." Jake raises an eyebrow at his child as to say _am I correct?_

Thomas and Sylwanin nod, eyes wide with their plea. Time has passed, but some things don't change.

"You'll see mother. There is a balance between science and nature," grins Thomas. "We're only trying to help keep it."

"And besides," Sylwanin gives a sly smile, her eyes shining with humor, but serious at the same time. "If it weren't for science we wouldn't _exist _because you and Dad would have never met…"

"Point taken you two," Neytiri cuts through her daughter shortly, but her eyes are softer and more understanding.

"After, we plan to go to the Tree of Souls to pray," Thomas adds. "Sylwanin and I thought that we had to do – something…" He glances at his sister. They had previously agreed that now they knew the full story of the Na'vi princess and the Sky warrior, they would thank their ancestors and allies who had passed into Eywa before their birth. Grandpa Eytukan, Uncle Thomas, Aunt Sylwanin, Grace, Trudy, Tsu'tey… there were so many of them who they felt had made their very lives possible. And that deserved their thanks… more than they could ever give.

"_Oel Ngati Kameie_,_ Sempul_. _Oel Ngati Kameie__Sa'nu__."_ Thomas and Sylwanin wave goodbye and head out into the forest.

"_Oel Ngati Kameie_, my children," Jake and Neytiri watch them go until the two Na'vi fade into the forest. Jake holds Neytiri's hands so that their arms are still hanging loosely in between them and gently bows his head so that his forehead touches hers. They have been lucky. The RDA hasn't yet return for the precious stone and threaten the peace that had come after the Great Sky War. And the struggles of the Na'vi princess and the sky warrior are now only part of a legend, and only part of a bedtime story.

_"And the princess and the warrior lived happily ever after, right Daddy?"_ Sylwanin had asked that night, her eyes sparkling with innocence and joy. And for a moment, Jake hadn't been quite sure how to answer that. For there is always the risk of the RDA's return. And Jake still feels as though he cannot let his guard down. But yet, he still agrees with his response all those years ago. For now all is well; they lived very happily ever after.


End file.
